away and leave her alone.”
“She did?” Dad looked at Billy. “Is that what kids are into these days, Billy?”
“Not me, Dad.” Billy shook his head. “I don’t know anything about it. Maybe she thinks she’s Harry Potter or something. She and her friends were crazy about all those movies.”
“Oh yeah,” Dad said. He nodded and then smiled at Phoebe. “Listen, honey, it’s just pretend. Beka can’t really put a spell on you. All that stuff in the movies—that’s just pretend too. You know that, don’t you?”
Phoebe looked out over the lake. She didn’t answer.
C HAPTER S IXTEEN
The moon wasn’t anywhere near full, and today wasn’t the right day of the week for this kind of thing, but Rebekah decided to go ahead and do it anyway. It couldn’t hurt. She could do it now and do it again later. After all, as Lena had explained, that was what was so wonderful about all of this; you were free to do whatever you wanted, however you wanted to do it. Rebekah had the power within herself to make things happen; she had only to find the right way to unleash that power. At least that’s what Lena said.
Glad that Phoebe had already made her nightly trek to Billy’s room, Rebekah pulled back the double doors of her closet to reveal her sacred space. That was where she kept the wooden crate she used as an altar, her candles and incense, her herbs and oils—all the tools of the Craft that she’d been collecting over the past months. The crate lay on its side with the open end facing out so that she could use the crate itself as a sort of cubby for her belongings. She also had a small collection of magic books given to her by Lena and Lena’s aunt Jo, who knew just about everything there was to know about the Craft. Rebekah’s most important book, of course, was her Book of Shadows, a spiral notebook in which she recorded her thoughts, her feelings, and her own made-up spells.
She glanced at the luminous face of the clock on the nightstand beside the bed. Just past midnight. At least it was a good time, she thought, to call on the elements to make her more beautiful. She had to be beautiful for David because she didn’t want to lose him. The thought of being without him terrified her, but she tried to push it away. She didn’t want to be pulling down any negative thoughts when she should be envisioning only good things. If she did this right, she could bend even the universe to her will. She wanted badly to believe that. She needed badly to believe it. She reminded herself that some months ago she had cast a spell, asking the universe to send her love, and right after that David had shown up. That had to be more than coincidence.
Rebekah lit two candles on the altar—both red, the color of love. Around the base of the candles she sprinkled cinnamon, ginger, marjoram, and thyme, all of which were an aid in love, and all of which she had conveniently found in her mother’s spice rack.
For just a moment she hesitated. Maybe she should wait for the full moon after all. But no, that was two, maybe three, weeks off, and she couldn’t wait that long. She had to do something now. David was sure to find out the truth about her father, and that might change his mind about her. On top of that, she had seen him tonight talking with Jessica Faulkner while he collected tickets at the Ferris wheel. They had talked a little too long and had laughed a little too much, as far as Rebekah was concerned.
When Rebekah and David met at closing time, she asked him what he and Jessica had been talking about. David had shrugged and said, “ I don’t know. Nothing much. Why? ”
“ No reason. Just looked like you were having fun .”
“ Not jealous, are you? ”
“ No .” Yes. She was jealous and afraid, but she wouldn’t let on.
“ Want to meet tonight? ”
“ I’ve got to lie low for a while .”
“ How come? ”
“ My dad’s back, remember? It’s harder now to sneak out and back in without getting
“She did?” Dad looked at Billy. “Is that what kids are into these days, Billy?”
“Not me, Dad.” Billy shook his head. “I don’t know anything about it. Maybe she thinks she’s Harry Potter or something. She and her friends were crazy about all those movies.”
“Oh yeah,” Dad said. He nodded and then smiled at Phoebe. “Listen, honey, it’s just pretend. Beka can’t really put a spell on you. All that stuff in the movies—that’s just pretend too. You know that, don’t you?”
Phoebe looked out over the lake. She didn’t answer.
C HAPTER S IXTEEN
The moon wasn’t anywhere near full, and today wasn’t the right day of the week for this kind of thing, but Rebekah decided to go ahead and do it anyway. It couldn’t hurt. She could do it now and do it again later. After all, as Lena had explained, that was what was so wonderful about all of this; you were free to do whatever you wanted, however you wanted to do it. Rebekah had the power within herself to make things happen; she had only to find the right way to unleash that power. At least that’s what Lena said.
Glad that Phoebe had already made her nightly trek to Billy’s room, Rebekah pulled back the double doors of her closet to reveal her sacred space. That was where she kept the wooden crate she used as an altar, her candles and incense, her herbs and oils—all the tools of the Craft that she’d been collecting over the past months. The crate lay on its side with the open end facing out so that she could use the crate itself as a sort of cubby for her belongings. She also had a small collection of magic books given to her by Lena and Lena’s aunt Jo, who knew just about everything there was to know about the Craft. Rebekah’s most important book, of course, was her Book of Shadows, a spiral notebook in which she recorded her thoughts, her feelings, and her own made-up spells.
She glanced at the luminous face of the clock on the nightstand beside the bed. Just past midnight. At least it was a good time, she thought, to call on the elements to make her more beautiful. She had to be beautiful for David because she didn’t want to lose him. The thought of being without him terrified her, but she tried to push it away. She didn’t want to be pulling down any negative thoughts when she should be envisioning only good things. If she did this right, she could bend even the universe to her will. She wanted badly to believe that. She needed badly to believe it. She reminded herself that some months ago she had cast a spell, asking the universe to send her love, and right after that David had shown up. That had to be more than coincidence.
Rebekah lit two candles on the altar—both red, the color of love. Around the base of the candles she sprinkled cinnamon, ginger, marjoram, and thyme, all of which were an aid in love, and all of which she had conveniently found in her mother’s spice rack.
For just a moment she hesitated. Maybe she should wait for the full moon after all. But no, that was two, maybe three, weeks off, and she couldn’t wait that long. She had to do something now. David was sure to find out the truth about her father, and that might change his mind about her. On top of that, she had seen him tonight talking with Jessica Faulkner while he collected tickets at the Ferris wheel. They had talked a little too long and had laughed a little too much, as far as Rebekah was concerned.
When Rebekah and David met at closing time, she asked him what he and Jessica had been talking about. David had shrugged and said, “ I don’t know. Nothing much. Why? ”
“ No reason. Just looked like you were having fun .”
“ Not jealous, are you? ”
“ No .” Yes. She was jealous and afraid, but she wouldn’t let on.
“ Want to meet tonight? ”
“ I’ve got to lie low for a while .”
“ How come? ”
“ My dad’s back, remember? It’s harder now to sneak out and back in without getting
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